[Marxism] 21st century capital ships: clarification

[Anthony Boynton]

In reply to Dave (Re: [Marxism] 21st century capital
ships    * From: dave.walters at comcast.net
    * Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:46:41 +0000) I was
refering to Paul Cockshot’s post (Marxism] Chinese and
3rd world imperialism    * From: Paul Cockshott
<clyder at gn.apc.org>    * Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008
23:11:27 +0000)

That post gives an interesting analysis of navies
“with modern capital chips” as a key military
attribute of imperialism. I agree with the things Paul
says, but his analysis does not address the most
important changes in military armaments and therefore
strategy which ocurred in the 20th century. 

These were, in my opinión, the development of nuclear
weapons and of ICBMs to deliver them.

In terms of key miltary attributes o fan imperialist
power, the acquisition and deplyment of nuclear armed
ICBMs is the SINGLE atribute that marks a modern
imperialist power. Tose without simply are not in the
running. This is why applicants to the club have all
built, or are building, nuclear weapons and ICBMs.

Anthony

Here is the first paragraph of Paul’s post. 
    

“A key military attribute of an imperialist power is a
navy with modern
capital ships.
The acquisition of such a navy by Japan 100 years ago
was crucial
to its ability to establish itself as an imperial
power. The process
went through two stages. First the purchase of modern
capital ships
from Britain, and then the domestic production of such
ships. The
Japanese program was sufficiently successful for them
to defeat
Russian Imperialism at Tsushima, establishing Japan as
a first
rank imperial power
.”





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